Were you told to go on birth control pills to get your period back? Are you wondering if you should go on birth control pills to bring you periods back and to “kickstart” your body to start having monthly menstrual cycles?
For me, it was a personal choice not to go on them. I knew that I am not a big fan of Birth Control Pills because I am sensitive to hormones. I was on a million hormones when we went through IVF so it was not something I wanted to reintroduce into my body. If my body was not ovulating on it’s own, I knew that something was wrong and “bandaiding” the problem was not something I was willing to do. I told my gynecologist about this and although she wanted me to go on them she was willing to give me time if i was actively trying to get my periods back. Many doctors may tell you that it birth control pills can kickstart cycles but that usually doesn’t happen. In fact many women temporarily have amenorrhea after coming off the pill.
I decided I would give myself one year to try to recover my period before going on any medication. If I did go on medication, I am not sure it would even be Birth Control Pills. There has been some recent research that the Estrogen in the pill may not be as effective on bone health as once thought.
Before making the decision to recover, there are many things to way out: How willing you are to recover? If you aren’t willing to try and get your period back on your own then some medication may be better than having low levels of hormones.
Birth Control Pills will not give you your cycles back. They suppress your natural hormones so that you don’t ovulate and in turn can’t get pregnant. The “period” you experience is a withdrawal bleed from the hormones in the pills you are taking. This is why you can take the active pills for months in a row and skip your period.
In natural periods, the reason you get your period is because your lining is built up from Estrogen. If you don’t become pregnant during that cycle your lining is shed as progesterone drops and a new cycle begins. So it’s not your period that is so important that you are missing but the Estrogen and ovulation that allows you to have a period. Estrogen protects your bones and is a vital hormone in the normal monthly cycles.
Things to consider is before starting Birth Control Pills
- Do you truly have Hypothalamic Amenorrhea or something else that is causing Amenorrhea?
- Do you have osteoporosis?
- Are you willing to give it everything to recover?
- Will you accept the weight gain that could come?
- Are you willing to give it up to 6 months or a year?
- Do you need professional help?
- Do you need a coach to guide you?
To sum it all up, birth control is not as good as your own natural hormones to protect your bones and your health. Your period is a sign of health and if you don’t have it this is a sign there is something wrong. I hope this helped!
Let me know in the comments if you were told to go on Birth Control when diagnosed with HA.
Baby Steps to Balance 